


Working Together Isn't Always Fun

by NerdyWolfy



Series: Writing Drabbles [9]
Category: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 16:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14898425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyWolfy/pseuds/NerdyWolfy
Summary: Where The First Order and The Resistance have to work together to get out of the pickle they're in





	1. Navolians and an Exhibit

Started on: December 30, 2017

* * *

When she first woke up she felt numb. She didn’t get how she got here or when. All she did remember was the wine she was chugging down her throat in her quarters. After Luke died she saw how General Organa took it. Ever since they had evacuated from the Crait and took off aboard the  _Millennium Falcon_ Rey had noticed her. She was quieter than usual but when she gave orders they would have an impact than the usual minor ones. Rey saw the way she was draining. She knew it was only a matter of time. She knew the time had come when she  _felt_ General Organa leave. No one had noticed for a while because she had gone to her quarters. When they checked in her quarters she had already left.

The day she left within the Force, Rey had connected with Kylo Ren. Rey didn’t want to talk to anyone in particular, but she sure didn’t want to talk to him. People aboard were already distraught and she wasn’t any different. She had closed herself off in her quarters, Poe coming around every now and then. Finn dared not to visit her. He is her friend, but he left her to grieve. She knew once she looked into Kylo Ren’s room that he, himself, did not take it well. The walls looked as if someone had smashed them as if they were plaster. He was fiddling with his calloused hands and staring down. He didn’t dare to look at her at that moment.

“You felt it too, didn’t you?” his words had gone through her head.

“Yes, I did.”

They stayed quiet for a moment. Kylo Ren knew that he couldn’t comfort her if he tried. He didn’t know  _how_ and he didn’t want to. He was grieving himself. Rey wanted to comfort him but she knew he didn’t want that. They both knew that if they talked, that if they mentioned her, it wouldn’t end well.

She couldn’t help but ask though. “How are you?”

Kylo Ren had looked up slightly, finally seeing how the girl looked. Her once kept hair was now down tousled kinky hair. He saw the tear marks that went down her cheeks and her ragged clothes. He couldn’t judge her though. His hair was the same way so much it was hard to get a brush through it. His lips were swollen and his eyes bloodshot. He beat himself up about this as she was doing to herself.

He felt perplexed when she asked. He knew that she knew of his current state. He also knew that he looked like he wasn’t fine. He had always found it strange, why they asked. If they knew how the other person felt then why ask? Why try to ask if they’re okay, or if they are fine, to only receive the answer you knew? It was probably a rhetorical question, he was once thought. When he was asked that in the past he could look into people’s eyes and see if they meant it or not. The way they poured their heart out.

He also couldn’t help but say, “Fine. You?”

Rey swallowed heavily and sniffled trying to keep tears back. “Fine.”

They both knew it was a lie. Neither of them was fine, and you could see it on their faces. They didn’t press each other for their differences in grieving. They both knew that this was like a secret code. They didn’t have to ask each other, they  _knew_. When their eyes met, it wasn’t with hatred, but instead with grief. Kylo Ren did not feel remorse but he did feel pain. The smile might not have been in the best circumstances but it was a smile from him. It was the best semi-truce she could ask for.

When she left she didn’t want to leave. Seeing that semi-truce could have been the way to end everything, to end the war. Other than the truce, she felt as if this was the true him. She saw how honest and meaningful the smile was. The smile didn't look forced, but full of care.

When he left; he didn't want to go. He was glad that he talked to Rey, he knew that someone at least cared. He knew everyone on his ship was celebrating over the deaths of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. He couldn’t tell them to stop because if he did the crew would know he still cared. He wanted to say he didn’t care but he did. He did  _care_.

When Rey woke up she felt mad. She felt more annoyed than angry, as she started to like him. She was in a dark place with no one other than herself. She felt betrayed by Kylo Ren. She thought as if all those emotions, all the ones she recalled she saw in the connection, were fake. She did jump to conclusions, and she knew that but who else would put her in a cold rusty pitch black room? She must have been right—she  _had_ to be right for this to be Kylo Ren. Although, she didn’t know Kylo Ren was this much of an amateur. Rey was alone, by herself to her own devices.

She looked around the room, her eyes now adjusting, and heard slight breathing. Rey got into defense mode in case if she needed to, which her instinct was most of the time right. She pushed the body with her hand to see if it was awake, or if it would awake. Fear didn't arise in her, but she couldn't say she was not afraid. She had questions; where was she? How did she get here? When? She needed answers but wouldn't get them. A heavy slam thundered throughout the room.

"What the hell, Hux?" a deep voice snapped up and turned around. "How did you get in here?"

When she saw the face Rey gasped in shock. She didn't expect for their face to show up and of all people! This face was the last face she wanted to see. She moved backward and reached a wall which prevented her from going further. She narrowed her eyebrows as the other person was doing so. Rey was angry, she couldn’t deny that, but for a different reason, the other person was.

“Why are  _you_ here? Why would you be in your own cell?”

“My own cell? Rey what are you talking about—“ the person looked around the room. “We are in a cell.”

Rey hit Kylo Ren, with her eyes showing nothing but pure anger and resentment. “Is this not  _your_ cell? You mean I’m locked in a cell with  _you_?”

“Rey, shut up,” another male voice came from somewhere.

“Poe?” Rey asked into darkness. She couldn’t see much except for Ren who was sitting close to her.

“Shut up, Rey,” he grumbled. She could hear rustles here and there but didn’t know what it was. She thought it was Poe repositioning himself to get in a more comfortable position.

“Poe!” Rey started to hit him. It was more like a soft punch but were not soft.

Most who were looking in on the situation were quite confused. Were these mortals, these humans, violent? Rey seemed to show some compassion but yet violence when they observed her. Kylo Ren only seemed to show anger and resentment but did not act upon it. There seemed to be emotions and hormones clashing; love and friendship. They were confused on how humans behaved. If they were in their situation; they would either be in rejoice or trying to murder each other.

The room was quite dark. They didn’t know where they were but were confused about how they got there. They didn’t know how they were connected because each of them was in different spots when before this occurred.

“What the hell?” a familiar voice rang in Kylo Ren’s ears. He hated that voice more than the Resistance itself.

“ _General_ Hux,” Kylo Ren hissed, “how exactly did we get into this mess?”

Hux looked at Kylo Ren with no expression. He knew they were in a place he did not know. However, he couldn’t think of how they got there. He was on the lower decks of the ship running a scan, ever since the last attack they were the most defenseless there. As Kylo Ren was now in command of the vessel, and the new Supreme Leader, Hux was still the General. He knew Kylo Ren wasn’t cut to be a leader, so he took minor things into his hand.

He knew Leia had died, the day she had gone into the force. The day everything was quiet on the ship. He had known everything was wrong when he had realized Kylo wasn’t on the deck. Even if he  _was_ there; he was quieter than usual. The way he sat in the chair, the way he directed, it was more sluggish but yet somehow precise. He seemed to be a valid leader this way, but then again he was still an inadequate leader.

“Captain Phasma is still in recovery, she won’t be in perfect condition for awhile due to the lack of oxygen,” Hux explained to Kylo Ren. “I only want you to know if that we  _do_ get in another fight—”

“Please, do me a favor  _General_ Hux, shut up.” Kylo Ren had glared at Hux, then went back to staring out the window. His posture was like how a leader was; upright and his hands behind his back. “And I  _do_ plan to stay low for awhile. I understand that we are in poor condition but if we are to get into another battle I will need our top fighters there. Get them trained as fast as possible and as well as hard as possible. By the next attack, whether they attack first or we do, hopefully, Captain Phasma will be okay.”

Hux nodded, he wanted to say something, but even he knew the depths of how angry Kylo Ren was. He knew Kylo Ren wouldn’t show his grief if his pride would allow him. He saw how bad he was experiencing this loss. Even though Kylo Ren had killed his father he knew how he took it, he didn’t care, but now that it was his  _mother_ ; he saw. Hux was going to leave him alone, but he knew something this time. Hux knew that now if Kylo Ren was set in front of a blast to blast the  _Millenium Falcon_ ; he’d push it.

“How is Captain Phasma?” Kylo Ren turned to Hux slightly.

“She’s doing better than before. Not in top condition though, she still had a punctured lung that happened while she was in space as well as no oxygen. She’ll be better though, she’s getting proper oxygen and the lung should be better.”

Kylo Ren nodded, looking out the window. He may have looked stone cold, but everyone knew he was sullen and full of grief. Hux turned around and left. He had his reasons, but he wouldn't waste the time to explaining it.

When Hux came back to the reality of being in the darkroom, he still couldn’t find an idea of how or why they were there.

“No,” Hux hesitated but finished his sentence, “ _sir_.”

Kylo Ren quietly groaned, resting his head on the wall closest to him. “Does  _anyone_ have at least a  _clue_ of where we are?”

“No, darkwad,” Poe smiled.

“I will kill you,” Kylo Ren growled with his eyes glaring.

“Or I’ll end up like your father, betrayed and stabbed in the back?”

The people on the other side of the glass snickered to themselves. Was this how humans acted? It almost seemed  _pathetic_. Their fighting was almost childish rather than an adult fight. If they were to fight it would be blood worthy; not bickering. If they did bicker then it would lead to bloodshed. That was how most wars started there; whether it be by misconduct or if it was a simple thing like a dispute. Did the individuals not have battles like they did? If they did have a war, would this be how they fought? No wonder humans were not the superior race.

“Did someone hear that?” Rey looked towards the wall. She put her hand on the cold wall, and instead of feeling bumpy and concrete, like it should be, it felt cool and smooth. “Feel this wall, it doesn’t feel right.”

“How does a wall not feel right? A wall is a wall, Rey.”

Rey shook her head and stood up facing the wall while putting a hand on it. “No, if this was a cell shouldn’t it have concrete walls?”

“Well, yeah I guess,” Poe shrugged feeling the wall for himself.

Who would capture them, but not put them in a room with concrete? If the glass was simple to crack; then it was simple to escape. It  _was_ glass, but it felt more like a mirror rather than a window.

“I should probably explain what’s going on,” a voice came from a speaker, somewhere in the room. “You are apart of an exhibit. The glass part is correct, but it’s a one-way mirror. They see you, you don’t see them. A way to keep a discretion in our customers.”

“May I ask who are you?” Poe looked somewhere in the room hoping to find a camera but found nothing to his avail.

A laugh came from the intercom, that’s what they guess at least. “You have three questions to ask, is that your first one?”

“Yes,” Poe spoke up interjecting Kylo Ren who was about to speak. “Who are you?”

“Soraya Adelita Arechavaleta, the Queen of this planet.”

Poe nodded.”That leads me to my next question; Where are we?”

“Edmorath.”

As if on cue two people groaned; Kylo Ren and Rey. “Edmorath is a planet with Navolians who are really,  _really,_  smarter than all of the races combined and take pride in it. It's gonna be hard to negotiate or reason with them.”

“I had one on our ship one time,” Kylo Ren rolled his eyes remembering that crew member. “He was so adamant about thinking he was right, and he was for the most part, but in the end, our ship almost blew up.”

She hummed through the intercom and sighs, “Yes, Thar. We weren’t against him joining The First Order, but we weren’t for him either. We would have rather built up an army to go against the two of you; The Resistance and The First Order. Unfortunately, we don’t need another war, even if we are violent.”

“One more question," Poe stated. He made sure to do it because if he had made it a question; then that would have been his last question. “Why?”

Silence quickly filled the room. They asked the most important questions; where, how, and why. No one would answer their questions; if no one had come. Now, at least, they had a chance.

“As I said you’re an exhibit. Do humans not have zoos anymore?”

Poe stared emotionless into the darkness. “Wait, what—”

“Oh!” Soraya exclaimed, “Sorry. No more questions.”

Soraya chuckled as she left the intercom. “Humans are fragile things, aren’t they, Ivette?”

Ivette laughed, tucking her black hair behind her ear. Ivette is Soraya secretary, and they both compliment each other. They’re both haughty as well as spoiled. Only to add to the fuel was that Soraya was the Queen of the Navolians, which made her higher than most regions. Navolians had lots of prejudices, especially against intelligence. They thought of humans with poor intellect. They only thought that because of emotions they have could get in the way of their rational thinking.

“I think this is a bit mean, sister,” a quiet voice came from the other side of the room. “I mean, I get it, it’s humans, but they haven’t done anything do you specifically.”

Soraya laughed and started walking over to the girl. “Reyna, they’re  _living_ , of course, they’re offending us.”

“By existing?” Reyna shook her head. “But they haven’t done anything to  _you_! They’re humans, they don’t deserve to be put into a category of being unintelligent.”

Soraya rolled her eyes and started to leave the room. “Whatever, sister.”

When the door closed with violence, Reyna jumped back in fear. She was somewhat scared of her sister. Ever since they left Concord Dawn; she had turned rude, violent almost. She had seen her sudden change of personality. She didn't understand why; was it because she was the Queen? They had not experienced a fancy lifestyle back on Concord Dawn, contrary to what they experienced on this planet. They still had a house, but it wasn’t a fancy lifestyle. More of a broken down home of four people and being taller than most Navolians was another problem too. Reyna has learned though, that she isn’t greedy, that she doesn’t need riches.  Soraya must have received differently.

Ivette laughed and glared at Reyna. “What are you, a human lover?”

“What, do you like to kiss up?” Reyna snapped back.

Ivette stomped her foot and narrowed her eyes. She knew that Reyna wasn’t worth it, so she stormed out of there with her heels clicking and the door slamming. Reyna and Ivette had always hated each other; it was a difference of opinion. Everyone there on Edmorath was prejudice against humans. They indeed are the smartest race, but they flaunted it too much.

Reyna got up from her seat and went to the intercom. The thing no one else knew, was that she was smarter than her sister. She knew how to hack into the systems. Reyna did this a lot and talked to the people behind her sister’s back.

“Are you guys there?”  _Of course, they are there._

“What?” Rey looked up at the ceiling. “Miss Soraya come back to haunt us some more?”

Of course, Rey was mad. She didn't want to be in this predicament; locked in a room with three annoying people. She was trying to figure out a way to get out, that was her job. She needed to act like a leader since Poe wasn’t acting like it.

“No, no! I’m her sister, Reyna. I want to help you.”

Did she want to...help them? Her sister was the one to put them in there! Why would she help them? Navolians didn’t have empathy or anything resembling emotions. Navolians were intelligent, and valued practical thinking over creative thinking. Rey knew this, was Reyna lying or was she genuine?

“Look, you want my help or not?” the intercom boomed with impatience, “I assume you know what we are. We’re extremely smart, and you  _can’t_ get through here without a Navolian’s help.”

That, by far, was the truth of the Navolians, as mentioned many times before, was intelligent. They took every nook and cranny you could think of and made it more redefined. Their intelligence is what made it impossible to escape. Navolians think of the future and think of possibilities that nobody knew existed. That’s why when ships have Navolians on them they make sure that the Navolian’s are of good use.

“Before anything, we need to contact our ships,” Kylo suggested. “If we contact them now then most likely they will get here by the time we get out.”

Poe nodded. “And if we contact them after we get out there could be a bad consequence.”

“I’ll try sending out a message, and if it doesn’t work we can take one of the shuttles out,” Reyna informed.

Rey tapped her knee as she looked up at the ceiling. “Why are you so willing to help us?”

There was a moment of silence. This could mean many things; either hesitation or deceit. It was hard to trust Navolians completely because they could have an ulterior motive.

“Because, unlike most of us, I'm not prejudiced against you.” Reyna cleared her throat, “And I’m willing to help.”

“Alright, tell us what we need to do,” Poe stood up in the room.

“You already know that there aren’t any doors, we already thought of that, but the window. It’s a one-way window, as said by my sister, they see you, you don’t see us but it flips. You can turn it so that they don’t see you but you can see us. You can do that from the outside and the inside. If you flip it over you can see the blind spots of the cameras and work your way.”

“The mirror, they’ll know something is wrong once we turn it,” Hux informed, “That’s one flaw.”

“No, they do that when the place is unoccupied. They don’t pay attention to the exhibit after they put them in. The cameras are not watched because we’re so confident that you guys won’t get out. They usually don’t have security guards on the cameras. However, they do have them physically scattered around the building.”

“Well, how do we get to the blind spots of the cameras? We might get caught by them,”  Rey asked, “Is there a way we can turn them off?”

“I’d have to get to the Technology Department which could take a little while but yes, I could.”

“We’ll try your way first,” Poe concluded, “and if we get out before you do where do we go?”

“Shuttle Bay, it’s next to this building with those big letters. When you see it you head straight there. I’ll check here first and if you’re not here then I’ll go to the shuttle bay. Try to make it through undetected.”

“Yeah, sure, we  _want_ to get captured again,” Poe quipped in a sarcastic manner.

“That was sarcasm, right?”

“No,” Poe drawled, “I’m  _completely_ serious.”

“Please don’t get captured on purpose,” Reyna said in a monotonous tone. “The levers for the mirror on each side of the room. You’ll see them hidden under the paintings. Make sure to flip them at the same time or they’ll go haywire.”

“What happens if you don’t switch them at the same time?” Rey asked.

“Well, first the one-way window usually starts spinning out of control. Then it will flip out into the exhibit area harming the adjacent exhibit,” Reyna explained. “It happened once before with the workers.”

“Okay,” Poe started to think. “But we can’t see. You haven’t turned on the lights.”

“No, it’s not that  _we_ haven’t turned on the lights. It’s that  _you_ haven’t.”

Rey reached up flipping a switch which blinded their eyes.

“Oh.  _That_ switch.”

Poe stood up looking around the place for the two switches. He was still blinded as he was in a dark room before and now into the light. “Could we turn off the lights?”

Rey turned around. “Seriously Poe? Really? We’re not turning off the lights and where is this lever?”

“Right there.” Poe pointed to the lever. “We should flip it.”

If looks could kill Poe would be long gone. The perpetrator? Kylo himself. Before Poe could switch the one by himself; Kylo was able to get to it in time. Kylo wasn’t sure how Poe was still functioning due to him being an idiot. Kylo did, however, understand how he was in the bomb unit if that  _was_ his job anyway.

Hux took the opportunity to listen while the uproar was going on. He always was excellent at it. When he observed them; he paid attention to Kylo Ren with glances toward Poe and Rey. Although when he did pay attention to them; he never could make sense of their directive. It wasn’t because he was the leader, but because he wanted to see how he treated Rey and Poe.

Poe was a bit tricky for him to see. Kylo Ren hated him but then again Hux he knew that he held a high appreciation for Poe. If Kylo Ren hated Poe, Hux knew he would have ignored him, but he, in the end, played along with it. It was like Kylo didn’t want to hurt him but still hated him. Hux didn’t understand why, but that was because he’s never had feelings himself.

Rey, he never understood how Kylo Ren and Rey had such a large attachment. He knew of the Force within Rey, and even how powerful the link was between the both of them. At first, he knew it was Snoke, but now with Snoke dead, there was no way for them to connect. So how are they meeting even though the only one to unite them was gone? Rey was extraordinary, there was no denying that, but he doesn't know how special she is.

And with this, all pieced together it only left Hux's mind to wonder.


	2. Prissy Hux and Hidden Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Hux starts to give a fuck.

January 15, 2018

The window flipped over, the mirror being on the outside and the window being on the inside. It felt almost great to see something somewhat normal.

“And I don’t look so great,” Poe huffed looking at his face.

“Literally  _none_ of us look great, Poe,” Rey scoffed.

“No, I mean, I don’t look like I should. Perfect face and all. I look, mediocre. Like pasty skin over there.” Poe motioned to Hux.

Instead of answering him had Hux scowled. Hux wasn’t into the games or anything Poe was going to play. He didn’t know whether not if they  _were_ games. Even though he thought all of this; he didn’t care. All he wanted was to get out and just return to the usual fighting, but in that case, he would win. The only thing that irked Hux was how Poe casually waved it off and joked.

“Okay, so how?” Rey asked.

That was indeed a good question. They would have to wait until Reyna got back to shut off the cameras, and by then they could get caught. There were cameras scattered around the building, as Reyna said, but how would they find the blind spots when they had some of their own? The room didn’t give an all clear view of the hallway, but it gave a good idea of how to get past in the blind spots.

Other than the clear blind spots, how would they get out through the bodyguards? Behind those doors, they didn’t know who was out there, or whether there was anyone at all. They couldn’t risk getting into a fight, because as Navolians are, they could get caught easily. They needed their best bet out: Reyna Arechavaleta. They couldn’t get out by themselves, the Navolians are too smart, so they needed an inside person.

“Dunno,” Poe mumbled as his hands were shoved in his pockets.

Rey knew this expression, and even though she hated it she had to give him credit. This move was Poe’s “thinking face” or whatever it was. He got overconfident in this, but he was right nonetheless. They have made numerous plans out of Poe’s famous thinking phase. He had to stand around, order people, think without speaking, it never made sense to her. Maybe that was what made her like him.

“We don’t need useless input in, Dameron,” Hux sneered. “We need a way out.”

“And that’s what I’m doing. I’m thinking and not acting like a bulldozer in my grandma’s home.  _General_ , I know what I’m doing.”

“He does,” Rey spoke for the first time for a while, “trust him. We need to work together in this or else this could go out of balance. Kylo, please tell him.”

Kylo Ren, who had remained quiet for quite some time, looked up to Rey then back down. He indeed was thinking, and they had to get along. Kylo Ren has been in situations like this; being with people he didn’t like and had to work to get out. To get out they first had to get along.

“Hux, she is right,” Kylo Ren hated to admit, “I don’t want to, but we  _have_ to.”

As Hux sulked silently, like a popular girl who didn’t get the boy, but no one paid mind to it. They couldn't spend their time trying to make Hux happy as they needed to go onto other important things; like living.

“Should we wait? She did say that she could go to the Technology Department.” Rey asked.

“We  _are_ waiting, but we need another way out in case that doesn’t work.” Poe turned to look at Rey. “It’s better than sitting here, right?” before Rey could answer Poe went back to thinking. She knew not to bother him while he was thinking, no one bothers him.

“We need to risk it,” Kylo spoke again. It felt like a four leaf clover; rare and insightful. “Our plan is to get out and get to the Shuttle Bay. We make a run for it but quietly.”

Kylo had looked to Rey for an answer, but instead, she stayed quiet. She was looking to Poe for an answer rather than giving one herself. She wasn’t the leader, but instead, Poe was. After Leia had died, Poe became the leader. He knew the sacrifices he had to make, what was best for the ship, and most importantly following in the footsteps of Leia and former General Holdo.

Poe scanned the mirror, observed for a second before agreeing with Kylo. “Fine, we’ll do your way. If we get caught I’m blaming it on you.”

“You are free to do so.”

Rey had wondered to the far side of the room. She had a tendency to do that when she wasn’t interested. She was interested in getting out but she wasn’t interested in the process. She had Poe to help her, and as well as Kylo Ren. She didn’t trust Kylo, but she had to for the moment. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. She closed her eyes resting them.

 “And what are  _you_ doing?” Hux sneered at her. His voice seemed quieter than trying to make it obvious. Was he trying to initiate conversation?

“Nothing, Hux.” she looked to Hux. “Why are you here? I thought you were sulking.”

“Maybe I don’t want to sulk,” he bit back.

“Oh  _please_ , you are the Queen of Sulking.”

When she looked at Hux, she saw something from the corner of his mouth then disappear straight after. Did he just smile? She had a look of confusion and Hux must’ve noticed before he gave her another glare and sneer.

 _Maybe the Queen of Sulking can smile._ “Do you think we’ll ever get out?”

Hux looked back to Kylo Ren and Poe who were looking at the glass and talking. They didn’t seem to be getting anywhere except asking what ifs and untested hypotheses. The glass was not penetrable so they couldn’t break it. There was no specific way out, maybe they should wait for Reyna.

“What’s that right there?” Hux looked towards Rey’s legs. “Is that a vent?”

Rey took a step forward and looked down at the wall. Hidden behind the curtains was a ventilation shaft. “It is! Guys! I think we found a way out!”

Poe grumbled looking at the window. “You did not.”

“Dameron,” Hux called for Poe, which surprisingly caught Poe’s attention. “We  _did_ find a way out.”

Poe turned around to them. He didn’t think that they would find a way. Poe usually found the way and the way that was safest. He was in disbelief that they could find a way much less for Hux if he found it.

“Is it safe?”

Rey shrugged. “Hux found it actually.”

Poe’s mouth dropped as he heard Rey. Did he hear wrong? He snapped out of it and straightened up. “Then he can test it out. It’s only reasonable.”

“Sure, feed me to the animals to die.” Hux hissed. He stood there motionless for a moment until he looked up, anger in his eyes but determination. “Fine, I’ll go. If I die—”

“You’ll come from the depths of whatever and kill me? Try me, it’s been done,” Poe scoffed. “If you die we have less to fight against when facing The First Order.”

Hux nearly lunged at Poe until Rey stopped him. “I’ll go with him.”

Kylo Ren and Poe immediately looked at Rey with a bewildered look. “What?”

“I’ll go. Don’t worry I’ll be okay, Poe. I can handle myself,” Rey smiled towards Poe rather than Kylo Ren.

“No,” Poe shook his head. “I’m saying this as  _your_ leader. No.”

“Well, Kylo Ren can go then,” Rey shrugged. “Nothing to make a big deal about. Plus they’re from the same place rather than me going with Hux.”

“I hate to agree,” Kylo Ren sighed, “but she’s right.”

Hux and Kylo Ren quickly left without a word which left Rey and Poe to themselves. Even though Rey would have gladly gone with Kylo Ren she had wanted to be with Poe. She didn't know why, but something wanted her to stay there with them as if something was drawing her to him like a magnet. Something about her thoughts about him, something in the way she stayed near him, it always made her flutter. She also could look at Poe and know; he’d never feel the same.

Even with all of this in mind, she couldn't help but still have these feelings. It was something she knew she needed to let go, but she didn’t. It was something to occupy her time rather than to stop her from doing her job. Something to feel happy about rather than worrying about The First Order.

“You okay, Rey?” Poe snapped his fingers in front of her. “You’ve been looking at the wall for the past five minutes and I don’t know about you but it doesn’t look  _that_ interesting.”

“Oh,” she shuffled her feet and avoided his gaze. “Sorry.”

Meanwhile, with Hux and Kylo Ren, it was chaotic. They were in another room which led into a long hallway. When they had walked down the long corridor which seemed to be endless. To cover the awkward tension Hux spoke. “Why didn’t you want her going?”

Kylo Ren looked at Hux with a raised eyebrow. He hadn’t done such a thing, or so he thought. “Whatever do you mean?”

Hux scoffed. “You know  _exactly_ what I’m talking about. You raise an eyebrow everytime you know or you lie. You could have easily said that Rey could go with me, although I would have opposed, you decided to agree with  _Dameron_ of all people.”

“I did not!” Kylo Ren glared at Hux making them stop in the corridor. “I only agreed with Poe because if the girl had gone with you she could have been a threat!”

“Lie!” Hux yelled. “Really, Ren? I have killed more people than you, and bigger threats than  _you_! Rey is no threat, I could easily kill her! Why would  _I_ be a General if I couldn’t kill a simple girl like her?”

What happened next was a blur for Hux really, and it happened all too fast for him to comprehend. There was a thud on the wall and he found himself incredibly sweaty underneath all the layers he was wearing. He heard a low growl from Kylo Ren.

“You  _wouldn’t_ ,” he said in a low voice.

“Why do you care about her? She’s the enemy.”

Kylo Ren didn’t really know how to explain it. He didn’t want to care for her. He  _didn’t_ care for her. Why would he, Kylo Ren, leader of The First Order, and son of Han Solo, care for a nobody? That’s all Rey was; a nobody. He couldn’t care for her, he  _shouldn’t_.

“I don’t,” Kylo Ren shook his head. “I don’t care about her.”

“Then why are you protecting her?”

But he does care.

He does care for the orphaned scavenger. He cares that she doesn’t get hurt. He didn’t want Hux hurting her, so he offered himself instead. He didn’t care that Rey didn’t feel the same way. All he wanted was her out of danger.

“Look, Kylo Ren, once we get out of here we’ll be back to the same charades we’ve been going through for  _years_. Forget about your feelings.”

Kylo Ren backed up to let Hux walk in front. It was more of a precaution rather than him being angry. He didn’t want to be in the line of fire. It may have been selfish but he didn’t care. He was the leader of The First Order, his priority first.

They came to a door which was cracked open. They kept their guard on high alert as they were in a strange facility that was keeping them captured. They wouldn’t want to be captured again. When they entered, at a cautious rate, the door slammed behind them making them on even more high alert. Kylo Ren looked at Hux to which Hux did the same.

“So, the prisoners  _have_ escaped. I knew Reyna would have helped you,” an unfamiliar voice came over the intercom. “That’s the perks of being Queen’s secretary, I suppose.”

“Who are you?” Kylo Ren spoke loudly, staring up at the corners of the ceiling hoping to find the intercom.

“ _I’ll_ be the one asking the questions, Kylo Ren. I won’t be soft on you like the Queen was. I’ll explain the premise of this game; you answer honestly you go through the door. You don’t answer honestly the floors open beneath you and you get captured, again.”

“You wouldn’t let us free, what would lie behind the door if we answer honestly?”

“I said  _I_ would be the one asking the questions, not you.”

Kylo Ren gulped audibly, which was loud enough to perk to Hux’s interest. Kylo Ren was indeed scared. He almost wished Rey has gone with him, but thankfully it was almost. As he thought, as he  _knew_ , he didn’t want her getting hurt. He was scared for the main thing being that the doors were closed shut and the only thing keeping him from living if a simple choice of answering honestly.

“Is your real name Ben Solo?” the voice asked, instantly striking a nerve.

He knew the answer. He was, he  _is_ Ben Solo, there is no denying that. His father and mother were Han Solo and Leia Organa. The people who brought him up from nothing to what he is now, the people who shaped him. Without them, he wouldn’t be who he was now, the rise of The First Order. The demise of The Resistance. He had a choice in who he was; he knew what he was.

Ben Solo, as a kid, was quiet. He was never outspoken and went out of his way to hurt people. He always helped people in their time of need but never in his. Maybe it was because he never showed his feelings? He was always an apathetic child. He is a good person, no one could deny that, but he never felt any compassion or anything dealing with feelings.

When he was a child he aspired to fit up to his parents' expectations and hoped he could achieve more than that as Ben Solo. As time went on he fought to meet them. Of course, they were high expectations; you couldn’t beat Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo. He wanted to make a name for himself but he didn’t know how. When he was betrayed he did end up making a name for himself and even beating his grandfather’s expectations.

He  _is_ Kylo Ren, the leader of The First Order.

“No.”

A hum came from the intercom. “Correct. Would you risk your life for The First Order?”

That wasn’t even a question he needed time to answer. He lived his life for The Resistance fighting day in and day out, training at the Jedi school his uncle taught at. He knew he was more than he was, knew that he destined to be  _Kylo Ren_ instead of Han Solo’s son; Ben Solo. He also knew one thing; his life over anything.

He fought and trained alongside fellow Jedi Masters in the school his uncle taught at. He didn’t feel at home there though, he didn’t want to learn about the peaceful side of the Force. That, to him, was like playing on the beach and the waves hitting your feet not knocking you down. He wanted to be a tsunami, a wave that was powerful. He didn’t care who he took down just as long as he took them down. He wanted to soar above the others, fly above the others—alone.

“No.”

“Correct again, tough answer wasn't it?” an awkward silence filled the room. “That was a rhetorical question you don’t have to answer it. Anyway, do you miss your mother; Leia Organa?”

Kylo Ren was always close with his mother. They were joined at the hip, figuratively of course. They acted the same and even spoke the same as well. She would bake cookies, although it was rare, in the morning for him. He could smell the fresh baked cookies from below as he could hear Chewie roaring to wake him up. He’d be lifted into the air and put on Chewie’s shoulder as he raced downstairs. He could see his uncle, Luke, hogging all the chocolate cookies as his mother, Leia, hit Luke repeatedly.

She was a nice mother. She took care of him to the best of her ability and made sure he was never left behind in anything. She made sure to include him in things he  _should_ know about. She never wanted to leave him in case he felt neglected. Now thinking of this, he did love the way he got the attention. He was never the one to seek out attention by hurting people, but if that’s what he had to do then that’s what he’d do.

With all of this said and done he did hate some of the things she did. The way she was too passive with her commands instead of hitting them straight on. How she was the calm waves instead of the tsunami. He knew they were both different but he never understood why she was the way she was. When he joined The First Order he hated how they were on the opposing sides. He wanted to join their side, but they were so different from him. He couldn’t be a calm wave, he had to be a big tsunami.

“Yes.”

The person hummed. “Interesting. There is something we do have to give credit to you humans. It’s nostalgia, the emotion to feel loved or miss someone. We Novalians don’t feel it, but we do have it.” there was a long pause until she spoke again. “Do you regret killing your father, Han Solo?”

If he was being honest, that hurt a lot. He never was close with his father and he didn’t remember any fond memories of him. He wasn’t a bad father, he just wasn’t there a lot. His father was always away on trips and grew up without him most of the time. When he was there he’d order him around and give the best advice he could—which in itself still wasn’t very good.

When he was growing up he didn’t know how he was a “Solo.” He knew of the usual marriages of how the woman would get the man’s last name; he was a Solo—by marriage of course. Growing up he was always called “Little Han Solo” or “The Second Han Solo” but he never knew, how he was a Solo. He grew up with the same wondering how he was his father; daring, mysterious, a calm tsunami in a way. He was more of an Organa rather than a Solo, and that’s how he chooses to believe.

“No.”

The woman huffed and he could hear her nails tapping on what he presumed to be a table. “Wrong,” a moment of silence fell with Hux’s eyes widening.

“How was that wrong?” Kylo roared.

“I don’t know,” that was the first question she answered. Her voice was quiet but full of astonishment. “Since we’ve never done this before it was still quite new to me as well. These questions are based on what you truly believe,” she cleared her throat as he heard papers rustling in the background. “Well, I’m sorry—not really—but the floors are going to open from beneath you.”

Kylo Ren raised an eyebrow. “What—?”

The floor underneath them opened up like it was swallowing them into an abyss. They didn’t feel the ground disappear; it was like one moment they were on solid ground then the next they were falling. It wasn’t like a rough falling but somehow as if the gravity of the place was lighter than it was. They weren’t falling fast but they were not falling normally either. They didn’t seem to land and when they did it didn’t hurt.

“What the—?” Hux looked around in astonishment and confusion. “How do you—”

“It’s the Novalians gravity. Their cycle goes from light dense gravity to the gravity being higher—harder to move,” Kylo Ren explained. “Did you not learn that?”

“No, I didn’t,  _Solo_ ,” Hux hissed.

“Hux do not start this with me,” Kylo Ren whispered. “ _Please_ don’t.”

“ _Ben Solo_ ,” Hux hissed as the name rolled off his tongue in a venomous manner. “How could you feel guilty? You’re apart of  _The First Order_ , not the Resistance.”

“ _General Hux_!” Kylo Ren yelled. “Do  _not_ start this with me!”

The frightening thing was that Hux stopped. He stepped away and went quiet. He realized two things from this observation.

The first thing was that Kylo Ren never says “please” even if it’s in a dire situation. Very rarely has he said it, and most likely never will again. To raise that much anger in him to say it, to rise the desperation, took a lot. Kylo Ren was a leader albeit not a very good one. He fought through it all; the pain, the hardships, the loss. He never once went into desperation never ones lost the power he knew he helped. Even when he was fighting Luke he never once gave up, but now he almost looked completely defenseless.

The second thing was that Kylo Ren never called him “General” unless he was angry. He realized he was mostly informal with him calling him Hux. Whenever he’d call him Hux was when he was annoyed or angry, which in that case it would be now. He never realized how informal Kylo Ren was with him until now, and he missed that. He realized how much he truly valued how informal and neutral he was with him. They weren’t the best of friends but they were close to that.

With Rey and Poe, it was quiet. Both never talked unless they needed to and even then it wasn’t a lot of talking. She didn’t mind going with Hux to find another way out but she didn’t mind staying with Poe. They didn’t know when Reyna would come back or when Kylo Ren and Hux would come back. The amount of time that passed by should have been enough for them to come back. They couldn’t hear anything on the other side and they couldn’t risk leaving if Reyna  _did_ come back.

“We never should have trusted them,” Poe mumbled, “They could leave without us.”

Rey nodded. “I agree, but do you think they got captured? I mean, the mirror is flipped around. Are they so sure that no one actually comes back to check?”

Poe turned to look at Rey before keeping his eyes down. His body was turned to her but his eyes remained focused the ground. He shook his head. “I don’t know. I wish I did but I don’t.”

The intercom clicked on with a rushed voice. “I have a plan but there’s been a little mishap,” Reyna’s voice quivered and shook. They had to take a minute to process what she had said because it was so rushed. “We’re going to have to rescue your friends.”

“So they were captured,” Rey said to herself, “so we  _need_ to rescue them.”

Poe sneered. “We don’t have to rescue them. Them alone has killed many innocent people and you want to  _rescue_ them?”

Rey nodded her head in shame. “I know it sounds like blasphemy but please bear with me, Poe,” she begged for him to side with her. She needed him to side with her. “If we save them then we could call for a truce!”

“No.” Poe glared at her like she was the sun. “ _No_. We are at  _war_ with them and you want to help them? That makes me think you’re a traitor.”

“No!” Rey started to raise her voice. “What makes you think I’d side with them? I just want a truce! A peaceful truce!”

“What makes you think The First Order is going to have a truce? You’re a threat to them as you’re one of the last Jedi’s out there! We’re a threat as we’re the opposition! Really, Rey, what makes you think they’re going to side with us?”

Rey went quiet. She wanted to speak but couldn’t. It was like something was preventing her from answering his question. She wanted to find a reason, find a way to make this problem all go away. Because of this countless of people have died. She wants the war to stop, she wants the pain. She doesn’t need any more lives lost, not even when she doesn’t know who she is. Trying to ask for a truce could only make it worse.

“Alright,” Poe sighed in annoyance, “how do we get out?”

“There’s a painting with a button behind it. The reason I didn’t tell you before is that I need to remove the wall that protects the button or otherwise you’d be staring at a blank wall. Most of the ways to escape are controlled through where I am.”

Poe removed the painting to see no button, as she had said and looked at the wall. “Okay, how long will it be before the button shows up?”

“About now.” the wall opened up to reveal a button, which very unoriginally, that was red.

“Let me guess, don’t push the big shiny red button?” Poe joked.

“I do not get what you mean,” Reyna questioned, “As much as I admire you, humans, you do not make much sense.”

Poe laughed awkwardly now. “It’s..it’s a joke. You know what, never mind.” he pushed the button with opened the mirror.

Rey and Poe walked out to see the other “exhibits.” Rey looked at them, which had different species that she didn’t even know the name of. They looked gloomy, depressed, and non-verbal as she passed by. She felt an intense amount of grief and sadness wash over. She had to keep her head down so she wouldn’t see, she couldn’t help but feel bad for them. She wanted to free them but couldn’t.

They got closer to the door Poe reaching out his hand to open it. Rey, in a split decision, grabbed his hand. “What if it’s a trick?”

Poe halted his eyes stopping at the doorknob in front of him. “This is our only chance.” was all he said before opening the door.

Rey was afraid. She had been before but now it was more terrifying. She was on an unknown planet with no way to get back home. She didn’t know whether or not she would be able to get back home, she was blindly putting her faith in Reyna. She’s been a scavenger all her life and knew not to trust because she knew betrayal. Now she was doing the exact opposite of what she always believed in.

It wasn’t fear that made her afraid, it was the unknown possibility that she could never see home again.


End file.
